By Carleton Rivers, RD
Halloween is upon us, which means sugar highs and candy binges are not far away. But did you ever think that celebrating Halloween could be healthy AND fun? We’ve come up with a bunch of spooky and creepy treats to scare your taste buds…and maybe even your little sister. We also threw in a few ideas on how to make super tasty meals out of fall favorites like pumpkins seeds and squash.
Severed Fingers
Serving size: 1 turkey dog
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
2 turkey dogs (less fat than regular hot dogs; we also prefer the "no nitrate" kind)
2 whole wheat hot dog buns
2 pieces of string cheese or a sliced almond in the shape of a finger nail
Ketchup
Directions
Heat the hot dogs as directed on the package. Place inside a bun and spread ketchup (aka blood) on top. At the end of the hot dog, place the piece of cheese or almond (aka finger nail). Now enjoy your scary severed fingers!
Deadly Dentures
Serving size: 1 denture
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
1 apple (we love green apples)
8 tablespoons of natural peanut butter (Skippy’s is great!)
24 yogurt-covered raisins
Directions
Slice apples into eight pieces (these will be the jaws, so two pieces make a denture). Slather one tablespoon of peanut butter on one side of each apple slice (peanut butter acts as the gums). Take four of the apple slices and place six yogurt-covered raisins on each slice in the vertical position on the peanut butter side of the apple (make them look like teeth). Top with the remaining apple slices.
Ghostly Bananas
Serving size: 2 ghosts
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
2 bananas
8 raisins
4 dark chocolate chip morsels
Directions
Peel each banana and slice in half. The ends of the bananas are the top of the ghost heads. Use the raisins for eyes and the chocolate chip for the mouth (pointy end sticks into the banana). And there you have it, a very spooky banana!
Jack-O-Lantern Clementines
All you need is a bag of clementines, nectarines or oranges and a Sharpie marker. Draw your best Jack-O-Lantern face on each clementine and put them in a big basket. This is a great treat to hand out at the door on Halloween!